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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Honeypie with walnuts (miodownik) - Polish Christmas food #5

This is my favourite Christmas cake - it smells and tastes like heaven -
honey & walnuts combination is simply amazing! It's made with two
or more layers of honey shortbread with semolina based cream and topped
with walnuts layer. This cake is another traditional food you'll find on
my family's table during Christmas - since I remember it was a part of
our celebration - sometimes my grandma made it, sometimes my aunt or my
mom. Now I'm making it in Greece too and it's one of the greatest
Christmas hits!

INGREDIENTS (for shortbreads):

1/2kg flour

250g unsalted butter

2tbs honey

3/4 glass sugar

2 eggs

1tsp baking soda

1/2tsp salt

1/3 glass milk

Dissolve baking soda in a milk. Put flour, honey, eggs, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl, add milk with baking soda. Using a mixer with "K" shaped tip on a low speed mix all of the ingredients together. Still mixing start adding butter cut in small pieces. Mix until everything is combined well. Form your dough into a ball, wrap in a plastic foil and put into a fridge for about 20 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F). Roll out your dough to fit in a baking pan - or use your fingers to spread it evenly. To prevent from sticking, you might sprinkle your baking pan with bread crumbs or semolina, but it's not necessary. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden-brown on top. Set aside to cool down before taking it out. When your shortbread has cooled down - cut it in half.

INGREDIENTS for cream:

2 glass milk

4-5tbs semolina

150g unsalted butter

1 glass sugar

vanilla extract

Put milk, sugar & butter in a pot and cook until melted completely. Spoon by spoon add semolina and stir it to prevent from making lumps. Still stirring, add vanilla extract. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring with a spoon, so it doesn't stick to the bottom of your pot. It will get thicker - it needs to have a consistency of pudding or whipped cream. Layer cream on one of the halves of your shortbreads.

Cover with other half and press gently to spread cream evenly and to "glue" shortbreads together.

INGREDIENTS for walnuts topping

180g chopped walnuts

150g unsalted butter

3-4tbs honey

Melt the butter on a small heat, add honey. Cook for a few minutes,
stirring once in a while. Add chopped walnuts and mix it well. Spread
walnuts with honey & butter mixture on top of your honeypie. Let
your cake to settle for at least few hours before cutting & serving.
Shortbreads will get softer in time and will soak some of the honey
& butter from the top layer - which makes it even more delicious...
Usually I make this honeypie few days before Christmas, is it tastes
best on second or even third day!